Duty
by Lady Koneko-sama
Summary: A crown is just a different form of slavery. She should know. A take on what Usagi thinks of her past life. O/S


**A/N:** My second story on here. Any suggestions, ideas, or critique will be much appreciated, especially on that last line. I don't like how it sounds, but can't think of a different way to put it. Let me know what you think!

**Edit*** Due to interest of people for me to continue my story, I've put a poll on my profile. Share your opinions there!

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Usagi watched the Starlights and their Princess shoot across the sky, and slowly fade. On the outside she kept her oblivious, naïve look, while on the inside she smiles wryly. She didn't know whether she should be flattered or insulted from her friends. Flattered, that she was such a good actor that they believed her oblivious, but insulted that they actually thought she was as stupid and naïve as she acted like.

No, she wasn't stupid, nor naïve. She wasn't as oblivious as she keeps acting. She knew exactly what Seiya, Star Fighter, meant when he said, "I'll never forget you". And none of them will ever know how hard it was to not jump straight into his arms and beg him to stay forever. How hard it was to not tell him that she loved him back. How hard it was to pretend that she didn't love him, that she was oblivious to Seiya's advances, that they didn't tempt her in the slightest. But they did.

She wasn't quite sure when she fell in love with Seiya. It took a while to actually admit that she was in love with Seiya, but she did. She didn't mean to. She tried as hard as she could to not get caught in his gravitational field. But how could she not? Seiya was a flirt, cocky, arrogant….but he could also be sweet, and protective. It wasn't hard to fall in love with him. It was as easy as breathing. The hard part was pretending not to.

Because she had to pretend. There was no other choice. She wasn't a regular Senshi, no, she just _had_ to be Princess Serenity's reincarnation, Prince Endymion's 'true love'. True, Princess Serenity did love Prince Endymion, and true, he was her love. But that was _Princess Serenity_. Her, Tsukino Usagi, didn't love Mamoru. Not like she should, anyway. She had a crush on him before, puppy love, but that's all it was. Puppy love. She didn't actually love him, not until she found out she used to be Princess Serenity. Then all of the moon princesses feelings for the earth prince came to the surface and pushed _her_ feelings to the side, never minding that they didn't know each other and that he had never looked her way before they found out about their past lives.

It was even worse when Chibiusa came along. Chibiusa was also easy to fall in love with, and she already had a mother-daughter bond there, even if she hadn't realized it at first. By the time she found out, she was already attached to Chibiusa and protective over her. She loves her daughters to pieces and couldn't imagine a life without her. How could she be selfish when her daughter's life is on the line?

Even if you take out Chibiusa, she still couldn't follow her heart. She couldn't be happy how she wants, couldn't have the life she dreams of, the love she craves. She couldn't have Seiya, because she was still Princess Serenity's reincarnation. It doesn't matter to anyone who she is now, how she is no longer Princess Serenity, but instead Tsukino Usagi. They didn't care about her present life, only her past. They look to her an expect her to act like her past self, all lady-like and graceful and kind and sure of herself and her choices. They forget that she's still learning things she needs to know just like they are.

Yet they could know none of this. If they did they would go on about fate and destiny and her _duty_. Duty. She loathed that word. She knew they would say that, too, because any time she even vaguely mentions something about verging from the set path of her life, she always gets a lecture ("You should get this out of your system now before you become Neo-Queen Serenity") or a guilt trip ("You what? Usagi, think about Mamoru! Think about Chibiusa! What would happen to them if you did that?"). So she's learned to just not say anything negative about the path she's on.

She snorts internally. Fate. Destiny. Don't make her laugh. She had no destiny. Princess Serenity might have, but she didn't, because she _wasn't_ Princess Serenity, no matter how many times people made her try to be. As far as she was concerned, her 'destiny' had died with her past life. So she had no destiny. But she had a duty. Because like it or not, in the future she becomes Neo-Queen Serenity and saves Earth from a second Ice Age. She becomes Queen and marries King Endymion and has Princess Chibiusa (or Princess Lady Serenity) and lives happily ever after. So that's what will happen. On the surface, at least.

On the outside she'll put on a front of being happy and in love, while on the inside she'll wish Seiya would've taken her with him. The others don't have to worry, though. She'll do her _duty_, no matter how much she doesn't want to.

She takes one last look at the place Star Fighter stood before turning and pasting on a fake smile as she jumps into Mamoru arms and feels the weight of her invisible crown settle upon her head. The crown is her master, and she is now forever bound by the chains of duty.


End file.
